"Beyond that, though, I do need to point out some things to you. I'm not minimizing the stuff you've been saying. But at the same time, from the beginning, you were generous with my time and attention. More than you should have been, given how you were starting to feel. More than I could have been, if things were reversed."
We ran for a while in silence. Finally she said, "Well, I'll try to do it right somehow, this time."
After a minute or two, I said, "I don't know about you, but I need to get back to weights, too. And that will take time away from us, me and the three of you. I've lost enough ground that I can feel the difference."
"I'll lift with you, and I think there's a good possibility Sam will, too, if you suggest it. Maybe even Ellen, too."
When it was near time for the signal, we walked to the end of the lap and left the course. Sam was already waiting. Ellen came in pretty soon. We all went back in.
"Sam and I are showering on the other side. If you want to be there too, they may let you just say you're there to shower with me, or they may insist on my room number, I don't know. We'll probably be going by Sam's room to pick up stuff on our way to breakfast."
We all kissed, briefly and without hugging, as we were all hot enough to want to avoid much contact.
Sam and I had a very quick quickie indeed, except that she was enough aroused by the washing process to come too, and she made sure she was pretty loud. We stopped by my room to leave my soap and stuff. We saw Ellen and Jenny waiting as we headed quickly to Sam's room for what we would need for classes, and we waved at them. They weren't waiting when we emerged, but they were already eating when we took our stuff to our usual table. They had left two chairs between them, dumping the choice of who sat next to me onto me. I put my stuff next to Ellen, and Sam put hers next to Jenny. We hurried to get food.
As far as I could tell whenever I saw them, Claire and Barbara and Moira and Rosa were all very happy with their partners from sex ed week. Each of them had made clear she was open to an occasional fling with me, and I missed the times we'd had before. But given the lack of time for everyone else, and especially after all this with Jenny, I really didn't want to put any pressure at all on their relationships. So we greeted each other whenever I encountered one of them, hugging and even kissing briefly when it seemed appropriate, and we talked a little from time to time, but I didn't suggest sex and neither did any of them. Rosa came closest, thanking me occasionally for past opportunities and especially there at the beginning when she had felt she was so plain no one would ever be interested in her. It was obvious that the guy she was with—Ted Williams—appreciated her body and saw how pretty she really was. I was so happy for her! And I had three of my own, and a list of others who were interested in an occasional fling if not more. I felt ungrateful, with my occasional wistful thoughts of them.
The day passed pretty normally, and pretty well. At the beginning of gym, when we were all gathered for partner assignments, we were reminded that there would be no sex game the next week. Nothing was said about why, but I was sure no one had trouble understanding, this time. Nothing was said, as well, about any extra sessions to make up for the missed week.
I found myself paired again with Marie Trescontraire. None of the extras drew me. I noticed that Ms. Miller was not one of the extras, this time. Marie greeted me with a very affectionate kiss and then kept an arm around me as we waited until all partners were set. I told her, "You make sure you run to try to get away, hear? I caught you last time, I probably can this time, but don't you dare just let me catch you." She looked at me in surprise, then said, "I hear."
She actually ran quite a bit better than she had the week before, so I guessed both she and Ms. Miller were cheating that time. Still, I didn't have any real trouble running her down. We moved out in the tall grass, and it was generally a repeat of the week before, without Ms. Miller's presence. She was beautiful and very ready.
As we got dressed, she told me, "Besides being wonderful, sex with you must be educational. When I got caught earlier this week, I came, both times, and it was a lot easier, even though they just undressed me and screwed me without any preliminaries or any extras. I hope whatever you've done to me lasts." Then she hesitated a moment. "Except, I hope it doesn't, um, make me fall on my back with my legs spread whenever a guy looks at me, after we leave here. I'm sure ready to do that with you, whenever, though, you know."
We walked back, arms around waists, changing to holding hands while we waited to check in. We walked around together looking at the forfeits. Soon Jenny and Ellen and Sam joined us. Marie looked at them all uncertainly, but they just took turns holding my other hand.
At one point, Jenny said, "This reminds me, Phil. Tuesday morning, between classes, Linda Labelle came up to me and took me aside and, um, berated me on how I was treating you. I think she didn't know any real details, really, but her first words were, 'Jenny, have you gone completely out of your mind?' I gather she was forfeit, so you finally had a chance with her, and you were as good to her as you always are to everyone. And I think she would have harangued me longer if there had been time. Anyway, I hate to tell you to add another one to your list, but she should be on it." She kind of sighed.
"I wound up as her partner on Wednesday, too, so she got a little more. And all I told her on Monday was that even if you hadn't been forfeit you wouldn't have been with me, by your decision, and that I didn't know why and didn't want to talk about it. Oh, I said that while forfeit and so in principle available, you were sending out 'don't touch me' signals. Maybe I shouldn't have added that, but it seemed to me she would assume I'd taken advantage of you. And I guess I was just hurt enough to not care what I was saying. Anyway, she asked both me and Sam to be on first names with her."
"You didn't tell her anything a dozen or so people couldn't have. They all heard what you said, and how I answered—even though you tried to keep it quiet. And I was still trying to hurt you, at that point, and you didn't owe me a thing right then. In one way I wish you didn't cause every girl there is to react that way, but I'm glad you were so good to her, and twice." She looked at Marie. "Would you mind not repeating what we've been saying? Please? It's fine for you to have heard it, I just don't want rumor and gossip. But I treated Phil about as badly as I ever could have, and he's forgiven me and taken me back. I'm glad he's been good to you, too. He's still making time for his list, not next week of course, but it's going to be cut back some."
I thought Marie felt boggled by all this, but she held on tight to my hand. "I won't pass any of this on. I'm glad you're getting things settled. I guess I was out of the loop this week. But I, um, I find I care about Phil way more than seems reasonable from how little contact we've actually had, so I'm really glad."
There were a couple of cute girls, among the forfeits, that I didn't really know at all and hadn't ever had sex with at all. So I took turns with them that afternoon. I got them to enjoy it, and they were nice enough, but I never had any real contact with them again. Last names, still, but we smiled and said hi when we passed, thereafter. Actually kind of big smiles. I hoped I made up for some of the other guys. Marie stayed to watch, both times, and I thought she held my hand even a little tighter thereafter.
When it was time to go back in, we all went together. I kissed them all pretty enthusiastically once we were past the door monitor, and went off to the boys' wing to shower by myself. I went back to the cafeteria and studied by myself until the signal. I actually took a roll and some water from the serving area to eat while I studied. For some reason, I was feeling hungrier than usual.
The four of us studied together in Sam's room. This night was to be Ellen's, and she offered Jenny another quickie with me. This time the offer was accepted without any hesitation or show of resentment. Ellen began her offer by saying, "Phil, if you're agreeable . . . ," and Jenny waited for me to OK it before accepting.
This time, it really was a quickie, I went in with no more than a long kiss or two, and I came in probably less than a minute. But Jenny hugged me on top of her for at least another minute, kissing me. She thanked me. "You gave me better than a quickie yesterday, and this has to last me over a week, but it's also one less chance for Ellen or Sam, and they're letting me have it." When she was dressed, she hugged Ellen, too, with a kiss on the cheek. "I mean it, that was very generous, and thank you. It means a whole lot to me."
